Acne rosacea skin malady is a disease with dermal and ophthalmic manifestations that combines the symptoms specific to rosacea with the pustules of acne. So far, the nature and exact causes of acne rosacea is not fully explained although it is generally admitted that the disease is favored by sun exposure. The face and the chest are the most affected body parts both by the flushing and the pustules outbreak, and the disease tends to get worse after spicy food, hot drinks and alcohol.
It appears that acne rosacea has been reported in more women than men, with a higher occurrence of the disease in the middle-aged group. Thus, the majority of patients are people between 30 and 60, but here we ought to add that black skin is more difficult to diagnose. Although many assumptions have been made on the preponderance of acne rosacea with fair-skinned people, the theory is not supported by clinical evidence.
The acne lesions characteristic to the disease usually appear on the chin and cheeks, or in the nose area, but the central part of the forehead is also commonly affected. The skin is usually very oily too, yet there are some major differences between acne rosacea and acne vulgaris disease. In traditional acne forms, comedones have no limitation of extent, whereas with rosacea they don’t even appear in the flush areas. Moreover, acne rosacea has a hypertrophy dimension that is not found with acne vulgaris.
Unlike regular acne forms, acne rosacea is a chronic disease that evolves in time, sometimes extending over years. Most often, topical corticosteroids are applied to reduce the intensity of the symptoms and to improve the overall condition, but they are not suitable for long-term therapy due to the tissue atrophy risk or the danger to cause permanent vaso-dilation. Most doctors will therefore go for the systemic treatment instead of the topical one.
Sometimes the damage caused by acne rosacea needs surgical treatment, but only an expert can decide on such a course of action. Electrocautery and the tunable dye laser procedure represent the two main solutions under the circumstances, but skin grafting, dermabrasion and other forms of excision are also possible. Do not postpone rosacea acne treatments because the more time passes, the more difficult will be to cure it.
